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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917964">How fragile happiness can be</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightCrystal/pseuds/BrightCrystal'>BrightCrystal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Men's Football RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(but not really that scary), Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Established Relationship, Horror, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:22:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,043</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917964</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightCrystal/pseuds/BrightCrystal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo and Kun spend the afternoon with Leo's parents in the countryside. It makes Leo long for a quiet life away from the city, but on their way home they have trouble with their car, and the appeal of the countryside soon vanishes. As there is a serial killer on the loose, being stuck in the middle of nowhere is a scary experience...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sergio Agüero/Lionel Messi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>How fragile happiness can be</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is basically a version of an urban legend that I first heard when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Many of my friends really liked telling scary stories, and this was one of the "must-haves" at slumber parties. I was never a big fan of scary stories or horror movies (or anything like that), they just led to sleepless nights for me. So this fic isn't overwhelmingly scary or graphic (although it felt appropriate to tag it “Teen and up audiences”), and the focus is on Leo and Kun's relationship. But yeah, I just randomly thought of this idea and had to write it, so I hope you enjoy. :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh brilliant, I forgot my phone,” Leo said with a frown as he, with some effort, sat down in the passenger seat of the car. Leo blamed the crutches. If he didn’t have to put so much effort into just getting around with his stupid, aching, broken leg, he wouldn’t forget simple things like checking that he had his phone with him.</p><p>“I can get it for you,” Kun offered, ready to open the door and get out, but Leo just shook his head: “No no, it’s fine, I can manage a few hours without it.”</p><p>“Okay, if you’re sure,” Kun said with a shrug. “Are you comfortable? Is the seat good? I think it pulls back a tiny bit further,” he checked. Kun had been fussing over Leo for the entire week since he broke his leg when he slipped in the stairs of their apartment building, and even if he was thankful to have such a caring boyfriend, Kun’s constant concern was a bit ridiculous at times.</p><p>“Yes, I’m comfortable, the seat is fine, my leg still hasn’t fallen off, let’s just go,” Leo said trying to sound annoyed, but failing miserably. Kun leaned over to Leo’s side of the car and planted a big kiss on his cheek. It made a reluctant smile appear on Leo’s face.</p><p>The car started on the first try, which elicited a small celebration from Kun. It usually took a couple of tries and some playing around with the clutch to get the beat-up Toyota started. The dash was its usual self, though; the gas gauge insisted that the tank was empty, and the warning light for low oil pressure was shining bright. The guy who sold them the car had told them to just ignore the warning lights, and to keep up with the trip meter to get an idea of when they needed to get gas. It was far from ideal, but since Kun needed a car for work and they couldn’t afford anything better, it would have to do.  </p><p>They started driving through the city, and half an hour later they were on one of the smaller country roads leading south. The urban landscape gave way to fields of crops, clusters of trees and small country houses here and there. Leo wasn’t sure he could ever leave the city and move out here, but every time they visited his parents, he felt a bit tempted by the big open spaces and the stillness there seemed to be here. He had also noticed that his parents had seemed much more content with their lives since moving away from the city, and although visiting them had become a bit more of a hassle, he was very happy for them.</p><p>But right now, he wished that they didn’t live quite so far away, even if a dinner cooked by his mother was worth some discomfort. Leo’s leg was starting to hurt, and when he tried to adjust his position he flinched as the pain became worse.</p><p>“Are you okay? Do you need a painkiller?” Kun immediately asked, apparently noticing what was going on.</p><p>“I’m okay, it’s just a bit uncomfortable,” Leo said. “How long is it left until we get there? I feel like we’ve been driving for two days.”</p><p>“About an hour.”</p><p>“I swear it wasn’t this far away the last time we came here,” Leo said.</p><p>Kun laughed a little. “We can stop for a moment if you want to stretch your legs or something. We’re not really in a hurry,” he continued more seriously.</p><p>“No, I’m fine. I promise,” Leo said. He didn’t want to tell Kun that part of the reason why he didn’t want them to stop was what had been going on in and around Rosario that summer.</p><p>There were a few moments of silence, but then Kun spoke again:</p><p>“Hey, I forgot to tell you: I ran into Masche yesterday. He told me that Ángel and Guada are now officially a thing,” he said, ending with a gasp as if he was chocked.</p><p>“What?!” Leo almost shouted. “B-but I thought Ángel and Camila had something going on!”</p><p>“I know, right?” Kun said with equal passion. “But apparently Camila wasn’t that interested after all, and then Masche set Ángel up with Guada, and well, we know how good Mashe is at setting people up,” Kun explained, ending with a wink towards Leo before again focusing his eyes on the road.</p><p>“Yeah, he does seem to be a born matchmaker,” Leo said with a smile, placing his hand on Kun’s thigh, just far enough from his crotch so it wouldn’t be distracting. It made Leo think back to when he first met Kun. Had it really been eleven years? It felt like only weeks ago that Masche had told him to come to a party and ‘meet one of his friends’. Even though Leo didn’t exactly believe in love at first sight, it really had been just that with Kun. He couldn’t for the life of him remember anything other than Kun from that party, and they had been together ever since that evening.</p><p>“I still remember exactly what clothes you were wearing the first time we met at Masche’s party,” Kun said fondly. Clearly his mind had gone to the same place as Leo’s.</p><p>It launched them into a conversation of that evening all those years ago, and it led to reminiscing about their past anniversaries, the first time they held hands in public, the first time they said ‘I love you’… It was like <em>Leo &amp; Kun: The Greatest Hits</em>.</p><p>Soon enough they reached the little house that Leo’s parents now called home, and Leo almost felt sad about the journey being over already.</p><p>“I wish we could have kept driving for a bit longer,” Kun said.</p><p>“I was just thinking the same,” Leo smiled. He looked over at Kun who returned his gaze. “I love you so much,” Leo whispered.</p><p>“I love you too. More than anything.” They shared a slow kiss before realizing that this probably wasn’t the ideal spot for a making out session.</p><p>Leo had just managed to get out of the car with some assistance from Kun when his mother opened the front door.</p><p>“Hello boys,” she greeted them cheerfully.</p><p>“Hello Celia,” Kun answered, matching the tone of her voice, while Leo’s ‘Hi mum’ didn’t quite hit them same note.</p><p>Leo felt all stiff from sitting still for so long, so he was moving with even more difficulty than before. “Leo, do you need help? Can you get up the stairs?” his mother asked worriedly.</p><p>“Yes, I’m fine. And I have my own personal assistant with me anyway,” he said, nodding towards Kun, only a little bit tired of having to repeat that he was fine.</p><p>“How was the trip?” Celia asked as she gave Kun a kiss when he and Leo reached the door.</p><p>“All good,” Leo hurried to say before Kun could suggest that it had been uncomfortable for him or something.</p><p>He then got a kiss of his own and a long hug. “I’ve missed you so much,” his mother whispered to him. “Me, too,” he whispered back.</p><p>“You look really happy,” she said quietly when she pulled away a little after Kun had already made his way into the house.</p><p>“Things are good,” Leo said. “The leg could be better, but… Yeah. I guess… things are really good with Kun,” he continued with a shy smile on his lips, not able to really meet his mother’s gaze. He didn’t feel like this was the time to explain that he and Kun had just spent a good hour reminiscing about the beginning of their relationship, or that Kun had been so caring and loving during the past week that Leo felt like he had fallen in love with him all over again. He would call his mother tomorrow when Kun was at work and talk about all of that.</p><p>“I’m so happy for you,” she said as they followed Kun into the house.  </p><p>Leo’s dad came to meet them in the hallway, and was clearly just about to say hello, but stopped in his tracks and pointed at Kun’s shoes.</p><p>“What the hell kind of shoes are those?” Jorge asked, something like confusion and disgust on his face.</p><p>Leo burst out laughing. His reaction had been practically the exact same when Kun bought those godawful Balenciaga knockoffs. And his dad’s version of ‘<em>what are those?’</em> made the whole thing even funnier.</p><p>“What?” Kun said a little defensively. “It’s... fashion. Or something. I don’t know.” Jorge was still not looking very impressed, so Kun quietly added: “They’re comfortable.”</p><p>Jorge just shrugged and pulled Leo, who had calmed down a little, into a hug. “How’s the leg? Still painful?” he asked.</p><p>“No, mostly just annoying,” was the best answer Leo could think of. He was putting on a brave face for his dad, in reality the pain meds were greatly needed.</p><p>“It’s good to hear that you’re on the mend,” Jorge said kindly as he moved to give Kun, too, a hug. “Fashion…” Leo heard him mutter and it made Kun smile widely. Leo felt so happy about the good relationship Kun and his parents had. Ever since the first time Leo had brought Kun to meet them, they had treated him like their own son. And Kun appreciated it, being so far from his parents and hardly seeing them more than a few times a year.</p><p>“Jorge, the news are on in a minute,” Celia said from the kitchen.</p><p>“Ah, let’s go and watch. They said this morning that the police had some new information about the murders,” Jorge said.</p><p>The murders… That summer there had been a string of murders in the Rosario area. Six people had been killed by what the police assumed to be a serial killer, nicknamed The Rosario Hangman by the media. The nickname was due to the fact that the victims had died from a powerful blow to the head, but then been hanged in trees. Most of the killings had taken place during late evening in areas in the outskirts of the city, sometimes in parks, or in any secluded places where there were trees, it would seem.</p><p>Leo sat down on the couch in the living room with Kun next to him. They all watched the TV quietly as the newsreader reported that someone had been arrested in connection with the murders, but later released since the person turned out not to have anything to do with the crimes. The newsreader ended the report with the authorities’ message to the public: <em>Stay vigilant.</em></p><p>“So they’ve got nothing,” Celia concluded with a sigh.</p><p>“They’ll find the guy soon, at some point he’ll make a mistake and get caught,” Jorge tried to reassure her.</p><p>“How can you be so sure it’s a guy? Maybe it’s a woman,” Leo said.</p><p>Jorge gave him an irritated look. “I don’t think that’s the main thing to focus on here,” he said.</p><p>“Fair enough,” Leo mumbled. Kun patted Leo lightly on the thigh as if to support his bid to try and keep an open mind about the gender of the highly dangerous serial killer on the loose. Leo appreciated it.</p><p>“I think whatever gender the killer is, he or she has to be really strong. Like freakishly strong. Hauling a dead person up a tree must be incredibly heavy. Unless there are two of them working together?” Kun mused.</p><p>“Yes, I’ve been thinking the same,” Celia said. “How can the police be sure that there is only <em>one</em> killer?”</p><p>“I guess it would be possible for one strong person to manage it. If you have the right technique and the right rope, at least. But it’s also possible that the police isn’t giving out all the information they have,” Jorge supplied.</p><p>“Why would anyone do something like this?” Celia wondered sadly, shaking her head.</p><p>“I read that he always hangs his victims in a tipuana tree,” Leo said.</p><p>“God, that’s so disturbing,” Celia said with a shiver.</p><p>“It really is. It just goes to show that it’s probably someone with severe mental problems, the tree wouldn’t matter if it was just about the killing,” Jorge answered. “Not that killing people in general points to a stable mind,” he added quickly.</p><p>“Whatever the reason or reasoning behind it, I think it’s really scary. I wouldn’t want to walk alone in the suburbs or in a park at night,” Leo confessed. Leo had talked about this with Kun and their friends many times. Everyone in the city felt a bit apprehensive about being alone at night, but saying it in front of his parents was different. He didn’t want them to worry.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s like we can’t relax until the killer has been caught. I think everyone feels that way,” Kun agreed.</p><p>“It’s good to be careful. Me and mum do worry about you boys in the city, but it’s good to know that you’re not taking any risks,” Jorge said.</p><p>“Nothing has happened around where we live, so it’s probably fine. But like Kun says there’s sort of a nervous feeling in the city, I think,” Leo added and Kun nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Okay, that’s enough talk of serial killers. Let’s eat,” Celia decided and led the way to the kitchen.</p><p>When they sat down around the dinner table, Leo forgot all about the long drive there, his leg and even the serial killer. His mother’s cooking was the best in the world, and he hummed contently as he ate. The discussion turned from the tragic events to more mundane things; Leo’s parents excitedly talked about how well the vegetables in their kitchen garden had grown, while Leo and Kun talked about their life in the city.</p><p>There was chocolate cake for dessert, and Leo felt so comfortable that he wished that they would never have to leave. It seemed like all the problems of Rosario disappeared out here. Maybe he could convince Kun to move to the countryside at some point? They’d have a big yard for Leo’s nieces and nephews to play in when they visited, and maybe they could have a kitchen garden like his parents did. He and Kun could work on one of the farms or in one of the garages they passed when they drove here. And they could get a dog.</p><p>He was so caught up in his daydream that his mother had to ask him twice if he wanted more cake or if she could take his plate away. It made Jorge and Kun chuckle.</p><p>After dinner they shared some mate as they sat on the porch enjoying the nice weather and the calmness of the late afternoon.</p><p>“Maybe we should head home soon? The headlights on the car are a bit so-so, and it would be good to reach the city before it gets completely dark,” Kun suggested when there was a lull in the conversation.</p><p>Leo agreed, even if he would have liked to stay a bit longer. “Yeah, we should head out.”</p><p>They thanked Leo’s parents for the food and company, and promised they’d visit more often.</p><p>“You need to get the headlights of the car fixed,” Jorge said to Leo as they hugged goodbye. Leo huffed out a laugh.</p><p>“The headlights are the least of the problems of that car.”</p><p>His dad smiled and told both him and Kun, “Drive safe. See you soon!”</p><p>Leo’s mother asked him to call her sometime in the week and he told her he’d call the next day.</p><p>When Kun too had gotten his hugs, they were off. The road was practically empty, and as the landscape moved past them, they let a comfortable silence fall between them. But as they passed a farm, Leo felt like he needed to tell Kun about what he had been daydreaming about earlier.</p><p>“Would you ever consider living here? Or somewhere like this? In the countryside, I mean,” he asked hesitantly.</p><p>Kun raised his eyebrows a little, as if taken aback by the question. “Maybe,” he said after having thought about it for a moment. He then looked briefly at Leo and then continued with a kind smile: “Would you like to live here?”</p><p>“Yes. Well not right now, but maybe in the future?” He felt a bit silly about having made all those plans in his head, but he couldn’t stop himself from sharing it all with Kun. “I was thinking that…we could live in a small house like mum and dad. We don’t need like a big country house or anything. Maybe we could get an old place pretty cheaply and then fix it up? I’m sure we could manage that.”</p><p>“Okay. And would we have a garden too?” Kun asked with a smirk.</p><p>“Yes, of course. We could grow potatoes and maybe carrots and beans and things like that. And then we could plant some flowers. Maybe roses. My mum would probably help with that. And then we could buy one of those small slides for when we have kids visiting, and a paddle pool for the sum-.” Leo stopped mid-sentence when he looked over at Kun and saw him listening patiently with the biggest smile on his lips. It really was a stupid dream. It didn’t matter anyway; their life was good as it was. As long as they were together, Leo didn’t care where they lived.</p><p>“Go on, what else?”  Kun said encouragingly. Leo looked down in his lap.</p><p>“I thought we could have a dog… And we could work on a farm. Or obviously we could commute to one of the towns around here, too,” he said tentatively.</p><p>Kun was quiet. Then he sighed, still smiling.</p><p>“I definitely think we should have a dog,” he said calmly. “And yes, we can move to the countryside someday. Maybe after we get married.”</p><p>Leo turned to look towards Kun so fast he thought he might have gotten whiplash. Marriage was one of those things that they hadn’t really discussed properly. Leo always felt like there was a bit of tension around the subject since Kun had once said that he would probably never want to get married. In fairness, it had been many years ago when they had only just started dating, but Leo had never allowed himself to hope that Kun would change his mind.</p><p>Kun laughed a little at Leo’s reaction.</p><p>“I’m not proposing”, he said firmly, putting up one of his hands to emphasize his words. “When I do propose, it’s going to be romantic as hell. Down on one knee, roses everywhere, sunset in the background, the whole thing.”</p><p>Leo just stared at Kun. A million thoughts were running through his head.</p><p>“But I <em>do</em> know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so at some point we should make it official. You want that too, right?” Kun continued.</p><p>“Kun…” was all Leo could say. He had known that their relationship was solid, that they had a future together, but hearing Kun say all of that was overwhelming.</p><p>Kun reached over and took Leo’s left hand in his.</p><p>“You’re not the only one making plans for our future. I think about that stuff, too. And no matter how I imagine that future there’s really only one thing that matters, and that’s us. You and I being together. So yes, we can live out here and have a garden and a dog. I’d follow you anywhere,” Kun said.  </p><p>Leo looked down at their intertwined hands resting on his thigh and tried to steady his breath. He didn’t know how to respond, so he just squeezed Kun’s hand a bit tighter. It wasn’t like he was about to cry. It was just that he wasn’t sure that he <em>wasn’t</em> going to cry…</p><p>“I don’t know what to say. I love you so much. Being with you… I don’t know, Kun… I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Leo said with a small smile when he finally found his voice.</p><p>“I’m the lucky one,” Kun said and pulled their intertwined hands to his mouth so he could give the back of Leo’s hand a kiss.</p><p>It seemed like they both needed to think about what had been said, and so they just sat there, smiling in silence, dreaming of a happy future. They passed a garage and a gas station, and Leo looked at the small dirt roads that took off from the big road they were on, and imagined what there was at the ends of them. Maybe houses like the one he hoped to live in one day. He looked at the fields that were turning from beautiful colours of green and gold to duller shades as the sun was setting behind them. At the side of one of them was a barn with a pickup truck parked next to it. A farmer was probably working late into the evening.</p><p>The world felt quiet and serene.</p><p>But suddenly the peace was disturbed by the car making a sudden lurch, but then continuing forward as if nothing had happened.</p><p>“You felt that too, right?” Kun asked a little nervously.</p><p>“Yup,” Leo answered. The fuel was about to run out. It wasn’t the first time, but the previous times they had at least been in the city, close to gas stations, not in the middle of absolute nowhere.</p><p>In a moment there was another lurch, now a bigger one, and at that Kun steered the car to the side of the road.</p><p>“Well, fuck,” he said, more than a little annoyed as the car stalled. Kun tried to start it again but had no luck. He buried his face in his hands and let out a groan.</p><p>“We can call dad, he can get us more gas,” Leo suggested.</p><p>“We’re closer to the city than to your parents’, maybe better call someone there?” Kun reasoned.</p><p>“You’re right. I’m thinking Zaba would act the least like an asshole about it?” Leo suggested.</p><p>Kun smiled. “Most likely, yeah. I’ll call him.”</p><p>He got his phone out, but he looked worried as he tapped the screen. “There’s no signal,” he said. He tried turning it off and on again.</p><p>“Anything?” Leo asked, starting to feel a bit anxious. And of course his leg was starting to hurt again.</p><p>“No,” Kun said, brow furrowed. “I’ll try outside the car.”</p><p>The sun was just about to set, and it would soon be dark. Everything that had seemed peaceful and idyllic before, seemed ominous now. There were no houses to be seen anywhere around them, only fields and trees. Now that they had stopped, Leo noticed that the wind was picking up. When Kun opened the car door, Leo heard the rustle of leaves, and as he looked up he realized that they had parked under a grove of tipuana trees.</p><p><em>It doesn’t mean anything, they’re just trees. Tipuanas are everywhere. It’s fine,</em> Leo told himself, but the feeling of anxiety just grew worse. The ‘what if’s were starting to creep into his head.</p><p>“Nope, nothing,” Kun said as he got into the car again. He looked at Leo as if he was weighing up their options. Leo knew that there wasn’t much they could do, but all he could think about now was the hangman.</p><p>“We passed a gas station about five minutes ago. I should probably start walking,” Kun said.</p><p>“No!” Leo said before he could think any better of it. Kun looked at him with surprise. “I just mean that… I don’t know… there’s a murderer on the loose. I don’t want you walking out there alone,” Leo explained, slightly embarrassed about his fear.</p><p>“Well do you have a better idea then? It’s not exactly efficient if we both go, what with you having a broken leg and all, in case you forgot,” Kun said, sounding like his seemingly endless patience was about to run out.</p><p>“We could wait for car to come by and ask them for help,” Leo said, even though he knew it was a bit overly optimistic. Since they left his parents’ house, they had seen a grand total of two other cars on the road.</p><p>Kun wasn’t impressed either.</p><p>“We’d die of old age before that happened,” he said matter-of-factly.</p><p>Leo wanted to say that it was better than to die in the hands of some crazy killer, but he thought it wouldn’t do any good, and besides, saying it out loud would probably make himself feel worse, too. So he just averted his eyes, and stared down into his lap trying not to think about it.</p><p>Kun must have noticed how worried Leo was because he tried to console him. “Look, I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, but we’re out in the countryside, and all the killings have happened in the suburbs or in the city, so it’s not like anything is likely to happen here, okay?” he said gently.</p><p>“Okay,” Leo whispered and then moved to kiss Kun. Just because he really <em>really</em> needed to kiss him.</p><p>And then Leo remembered the pickup truck by the barn they had passed a while ago. What if it wasn’t a farmer?  It was as if his entire body was screaming that something was wrong, that they were in danger. The truck, the tipuanas, Kun’s phone not having a signal… Leo’s heart rate shot up like a rocket.</p><p>“Kun… I really don’t feel good about this. Can’t we just stay here and wait?” he said. The car felt like the only safe space within miles, and Leo needed them to stay right there.</p><p>“Leo, it’s going to be fine,” Kun said. “You’re letting your imagination run wild. Go back to thinking about our future home, and the kitchen garden and stuff. And you can decide what kind of dog we’re getting. When I come back we can talk about what to name it,” he tried. Kun’s tone wasn’t patronising, but Leo still felt like a child who was being told there were no monsters under the bed.</p><p>He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the panic he was starting to feel. But now another thought entered his mind: not only was Kun going to be alone out there, but Leo was going to be alone in a car under those damned tipuanas. He tried to reason with himself that he could lock the car doors and that he was perfectly safe. <em>But what if the killer has a bat or something? He could break the windows.</em> He tried to convince himself it was a silly thought before he could get even more worried.</p><p>“Listen, I’d better go before it gets dark,” Kun said. Leo nodded slightly. He looked Kun right in the eyes, trying to somehow make him understand how scared he was without having to say it.</p><p>Kun didn’t get it. “I’ll take my phone, in case I get a signal a bit further down the road,” he said.</p><p>“Kun I’m scared,” Leo blurted out. Kun stopped mid-movement, and turned his whole body towards Leo. He placed a hand on his cheek.</p><p>“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Things just seem scary because it’s getting dark and we’re in an unfamiliar place, okay? It’ll take me less than an hour to walk there, and then hopefully I can get a ride back, or maybe I’ll get lucky and a car will drive by so I can hitch a ride sooner. Please, Leo, don’t worry,” Kun said kindly but firmly.</p><p>“I just don’t want you to be alone out there, and I don’t want to wait alone and what if the killer has a bat or something and he breaks the windows of the car?” Leo said, almost a little frantic.</p><p>Now Kun looked truly worried. He leaned over the center console and hugged Leo the best he could. “Leo, that’s not going to happen,” he whispered.</p><p>When he let go, Leo wasn’t feeling any better, and apparently it showed. Kun looked at him for a moment, and then came with a suggestion.</p><p>“This might not be the kind of solution you’re looking for, but… since this piece of crap on four wheels is hatchback, the boot is pretty big, and I’m pretty sure there’s a blanket back there… so, if it would make you feel better we could like… hide you?” Kun said, sounding a bit unsure.</p><p>That was stupid. Hiding in the car boot? Completely over the top. Logically, Leo knew that. But he was at a point where he didn’t care if it was stupid.</p><p>“Maybe…” he said slowly.</p><p>“Okay, let’s do it,” Kun said. He got out of the car and came to Leo’s side, opening the door. With the help of his crutches and Kun, Leo slowly got up from his seat, but winced as his sore leg bumped against the car.</p><p>“Steady,” Kun said and took a firmer hold of him. “Is it hurting a lot?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m starting to miss my meds,” Leo said, trying to sound more casual than the pain and overall anxiety actually made him feel.</p><p>“We’ll be home soon,” Kun promised.</p><p>The ground was uneven, and Leo found moving difficult. Although Kun was by his side, ready to help, he made his way to the back of the car as best he could on his own.</p><p>“This feels stupid,” Leo said as Kun opened the boot. There was a struggle going on in his mind between ‘this is stupid’ and ‘I’ve never been so scared in my entire life’, and the former was temporarily winning.</p><p>“I guess better safe than sorry. Or something. I mean, if there’s a way for you to feel better, then let’s do that, you know,” Kun replied. Leo nodded in agreement, swallowing a lot of pride.</p><p>Kun had kind of a strange expression on his face as he looked at Leo. He sighed deeply and then closed the gap between them, pulling Leo into a big hug. Leo let go of one of his crutches, placing it to lean on the car, so that he’d have at least one arm to hug back with.</p><p>“I love you more than anything,” Kun whispered.</p><p>“I love you more than anything, too,” Leo whispered back. They stayed like that for a few beats.</p><p>“You think about the dog, okay? I’m voting for a terrier,” Kun said with a smile as he pulled away.</p><p>Leo couldn’t help but smile in response.</p><p>“I was thinking more like some kind of mastiff,” Leo said. Kun smiled wider. They stood there looking at each other for a while until Kun shook his head a little, as if to clear his mind, and motioned towards the boot.</p><p>Getting into a car boot with a broken leg wasn’t the easiest of tasks, but together they managed it.</p><p>“Comfortable?” Kun asked.</p><p>“Not really, but it’ll do,” Leo said.</p><p>Kun put the blanket over Leo’s body, then leaned down to kiss him deeply. It was one of those kisses that makes your knees weak even if you’re lying down in a car boot. Leo couldn’t help a soft “mmm” escaping his lips as Kun deepened the kiss even further.</p><p>Leo was a bit breathless when Kun stopped and stood up straight again.</p><p>“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Kun said.</p><p>“Yeah.” Leo was trying to be brave, and he felt a bit giddy from the kiss, so perhaps it was working. “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you, too,” Kun said. He looked down on Leo as if to once more reassure him that everything would be okay. Then he shut the boot and Leo was left alone.</p><p>It was strange. The only noise that Leo could hear was the wind blowing through the trees and the fields, but it was as if every sound was louder than it had been before. And everything was somehow distorted.</p><p>He looked up, hoping to see Kun, but the angle of the rear window made it impossible for him to see anything but the trees with their rustling leaves, and above them, a darkening sky.</p><p>It didn’t take long for his brain to start making up scenarios. In his mind he could see someone peering in through the window, startling Leo who couldn’t see if anyone was approaching.</p><p>He decided to pull the blanket over his head and just try to think about something else.</p><p>Leo had no idea how much time passed. He tried counting seconds, but then his mind wandered off to darker places again, and he lost count. He tried to go back to imagining his and Kun’s future home, but the countryside had lost a bit of its charm, so that didn’t work either.</p><p>His thoughts were also frequently interrupted by the smallest of noises; leaves sometimes fell from the trees and hit the roof of the car, and even though they made a noise that Leo would never have noticed before, right now the sound was deafening.</p><p>The wind seemed to be picking up further, and, at least in Leo’s mind, the noises kept getting louder. The sound of the wind flowing through the trees was also constantly changing. And there were noises he wasn’t even sure he had heard; like faint scraping on the ground, and once he even thought he heard a car in the distance, but as it never approached he thought he must have imagined it.</p><p>But even though he knew his mind was making things up, his entire body was in a state of full alert. His heart was beating a million miles a minute, he felt like he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t decide if he was too hot or too cold. When he heard one particularly harsh sound, like something heavy hitting the ground, he wanted to look through the car window, but he couldn’t. He found himself physically unable to move, and he thought he was close to having a panic attack.</p><p>So he took a deep breath and tried to think about something nice, and tried to go back to the conversation he and Kun had been having as they drove to his parents’. If Leo was asked to name his happiest memory, it would have been that evening when he met Kun, when they were sitting on Masche’s balcony, talking about unimportant things. And he was desperately clinging to that memory as he lay there listening to the noises from the outside, wondering how much time had passed since Kun left and hoping he would return soon.  </p><p>Just as Leo was able to disappear into that memory, he heard a thud, like a weak knock, against the rear window of the car. It made him jump, and he felt an acute headache from being scared. His mind quickly started making up theories about what it could be, but he tried to convince himself that it wasn’t anything sinister. <em>Maybe a small branch had fallen from the tree, hitting the window on its way to the ground. </em></p><p>But the noise came again only a moment later. Now as two thuds in rapid succession, knock-knock.</p><p>Leo shut his eyes hard and tried to calm himself down, but after only a few seconds he heard the noise again. He felt faint, and he wanted to cry. Most of all he wanted Kun to be there to comfort him.</p><p>He had no idea what the sound was, but whereas he had earlier been paralyzed by fear when he heard a noise, he now needed to know what made the sound. He gathered all the courage he could, and then pulled the blanket down from over his face slowly.</p><p>He peaked out through the window with one eye, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, only that the sky had gotten even darker. So he pulled the blanket down a bit further, his heart beating in his ears, and as he lifted his head and looked up, he saw what had made the sound.</p><p>He recognized Kun’s sneakers immediately. The Hangman had claimed his seventh victim.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm aware that the "rhythm" of this story probably doesn't follow the conventions of horror writing, but... well, since I don't really read a lot of horror, this is my take on the genre, I guess. And also, thank you SO MUCH if you read this!!! I know this must be a really niche fic! Let me know if you liked it, both positive and negative comments are welcome. (I'm dybalarcon on tumblr if you'd rather chat there than in the comments section)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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